Lea Perez aka Killa Bee

First off, I'd like to thank the Academy.......
Kidding!  Like many others, I am shocked.  I don't even know how this happens.  I love attending the spotlight WODs and reading about the athletes, but me?  I feel unworthy but proud, shy but excited, surprised but happy. Emotion overload!

So a little bit about me....I grew up in the small south Texas town of Kingsville, earned my Civil Engineering degree, married my high school sweetheart (Omar), and have 2 wonderful and crazy kids (Adam & Alleyne).  I don't have much of a fitness journey.  Late night studying and late night partying would cause me to fluctuate 5-10 lbs in weight but that could always be managed with 4-5 days/wk at the gym and Weight Watchers.  After college, it was even easier: work, gym, home.  Then came the babies!  They each rented out my belly for 9 months and trashed the place.  Still trying to clean up that mess!

My son was diagnosed with autism at age 3, and I decided not to go back into the work force.  The next few years were very hard.  My husband was out of town often for work and I stayed to myself because I didn't want to have to deal with other peoples' ignorance about autism.  If anyone so much as looked at Adam the wrong way, it took everything in me to not punch them in the throat.  Other than my parents and my sister and her family, I didn't feel like being around anyone.  It felt lonely and exhausting.  And if I'm totally honest, it hurt deeply to see others have this beautiful bond with their child when mine wouldn't ever hug me or even call me 'mama.'  My days were filled with caring for my infant daughter and Adam's meltdowns and my nights were filled with tears and chips & dip. :-p  My only outlet was running but even that was hard.  Something always set Adam off - going left instead of right or not taking the exact route home would cause him to thrash in his seat for reasons unknown to me because he couldn't tell me.  So again, unexpected outbursts in public and meltdowns around friends made me nervous.  It was easier to stay in my small but safe circle of immediate family.

However, with Adam's hard work, the GFCF diet, and most importantly with God, things got better.  Adam started communicating leading to less meltdowns and he finally called me 'mom' for the first time!  Life got a little easier but I still stayed the same - guarded and alone.  I was perfectly content (or so I thought) to workout to P90X or Tapout alone and to run alone.  Then my husband purchased the Mother's Day Special at ABC this past May.  He had heard great things from a friend at work and that it was Christ-centered.  He felt it would be a perfect fit for me mentally and spiritually.  I have to admit I thought I would use my gift but when it was done, I'd be back to running alone.  I guess Omar knows me better than I know myself because I LOVE it!!!  I love, love, love the camaraderie, the prayers, the people, the positivity!  It was just what I needed to snap me out of this 'I'm fine alone' mentality.  We weren't meant to walk alone.  God never wants us to go it alone.  We need each other to encourage, inspire, and help each other, especially when it seems in today's society our faith is tested practically everyday.  This is what aMAZEn Bootcamp and Iron Antler Crossfit has done for me!!!  THANK YOU!  Killa Bee - out!
~ Lea

WOD DATE 11/21 Wear YELLOW